The On-Screen Display
The ASUS monitor makes it easy to use its settings menu with a joystick found just under the screen. This joystick allows users to adjust settings right on the monitor, although you can also use Asus's software, called DisplayWidgetCenter, for some adjustments.
The settings menu on the monitor, known as the OSD (On-Screen Display), has more customization options than the software, which is why it's crucial for those who want to fine-tune their monitor settings. The joystick makes moving through the OSD menu simple, and it's expected that future updates might let users do everything through the DisplayWidgetCenter with a mouse, making the process even smoother.
Both the OSD and the software divide settings into categories like gaming features, image presets, quality adjustments, and options for displaying two sources at once (Picture-in-Picture or Picture-by-Picture). In the gaming section, there are specific settings for different types of games such as racing, first-person shooters, and real-time strategy or role-playing games. There are also special modes designed to improve visibility in games, like Night Vision for darker scenes and MOBA mode for vibrant colors. The GamePlus feature adds extras like a crosshair overlay, a zoom function for precise aiming, and Shadow Boost to make dark areas clearer.
The Display Widget software goes beyond simple adjustments like brightness and contrast, offering more in-depth settings like sharpness, color hue and saturation, and gamma levels. For gamers, it includes features similar to those in the OSD, like Shadow Boost, timers, a frame rate counter, and sniper mode. The monitor is designed for gaming, but some features like variable refresh rate and motion blur reduction may be limited depending in choices you make in the OSD. A notable feature includes the ability to display content from two sources side by side, a sensor that turns the monitor off when no one is nearby to save power, and customizable RGB lighting with a projected ROG logo. The on-screen display (OSD) is high-resolution and easy to navigate, offering various options. These include nine picture profiles, six-axis color adjustment, multiple gamma points, and settings for clamping the color space to sRGB or DCI-P3.
The XG27AQDMG, while an update of last year’s model, introduces unique features. Most notably, it includes Asus’ Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) technology, previously seen in models like the Asus ROG Swift 32 QD-OLED. ELMB incorporates Black Frame Insertion (BFI), enhancing motion clarity at lower refresh rates.
BFI simulates the flicker of a CRT display by inserting black frames, improving motion clarity. For instance, when running a console game at 60 frames per second (fps), BFI can provide the motion clarity of 120 fps, reducing blur on moving objects. Unlike traditional monitors that use a sample and hold technique, BFI eliminates this by not holding onto frames for two refreshes. ELMB limits the monitor to 120Hz and significantly reduces brightness. Nevertheless, it remains a valuable feature for users who need to operate the monitor at lower refresh rates or when using the display with a console.
